Boro Post Match thread

[sky_blue]

So will Soriano and co be ok with us finishing outside the top 4 as long as we've tried to play football the right way? Sometimes we just need to win ugly ....and that's what pisses me off, the fact that we fail to change our style sometimes in order to get a result.

What's this obsession with titles and winning? Look how United tried to win in the short term by buying stop gap players and managers and 4 years later, they're still absolutely fucked. Compare this to Spurs. They haven't won anything over the last 3 seasons, but they arguably look the best team in the PL right now. That's because they persevered with the manager, bought the right kind of players and developed an ethos of how to play rather than just playing ugly to win whichever way possible. So you know maybe, patience, long term planning and sticking to a core set of values actually works.

 

[Chippy_boy]

is that mirror,common or crucian....

Brown.

 

[BigOscar]

I agree. But is Pep's way to use overlapping FBs for width and options? And if so, can whomever is on the end of the cutback pass from the byline find the net or do we have to rely on Kun or GJ to get in front of a defender? Frankly, we just look easy to defend unless we are rushing with numbers, and even when we did that today we had little.

I think he'd love to have overlapping fullbacks laying balls across the box, he's spoken about it repeatedly about having to try to find another way as we don't have the personel. It's not just about what they do though, it's the as they open up space inside for the wingers as well as the defence has to worry about the overlap. Currently teams just ignore Clichy and double up on Sane, knowing Clichy won't hurt them even if they leave him unmarked. It's the main reason we've struggled so much against teams who sit back and stay narrow

 

[birchwoodgingerste]

I think people are missing the point it's irrelevant where we finish pep will build a legacy a style of football that will serve us for years to come. So there's gonna be ups and downs but the style he wants to play will be finely tuned until it's the way he wants. Exiting times ahead .

 

[Blue Llama]

We are still 4th largely as a result of all.the team's around us screwing up as badly as we are.

 

[Cityfan]

I am so sick and tired of people saying:
a) he hasn't got his own players
b) the players he has are too old
c)) this is the way Soriano et al want them to play
d) we need to give him time

a) he has players that can play in the PL and a good manager should be able to play them in their own position and not tip tapping back and forth across the width of the pitch and then........... oh we forgot to send it back to the goalkeeper, even though we are actually (at last) going forwards
b) the players are NOT too old, they are not being given the encouragement they need
c) Soriano et al surely want a team that can play in the PL?? Plus when did Soriano et al ever manage a football team?
d) Would you want to be giving him time if he were any other manager? No, just because he is Guardiola somehow he is given every excuse under the sun!!

a) thats a matter of opinion,but every manager has to use the hand he is dealt.
b) We clearly have got an ageing squad and very few players who are close to their theoretical prime.
c) Personally I couldn't care how Soriano wants us to play but when we have played the system well I've really enjoyed it.
d) I would give virtually every manager more time if they have a decent track record or are not clearly incompetent, people forget how long it has taken some managers to work. Look at GPC at the swamp. Pochettino didn't impress in his first season at Spurs. There was some pretty dire stuff with Bobby Manc in his first season.

 

[Blumers Bloomers]

You'd have to ask Soriano that. I suspect that he might have hoped for better but I doubt he's planning on making any managerial changes.

I'm not advocating any managerial changes, I do however think that fans are entitled to question the manager, he shouldn't be above criticism .

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

I am so sick and tired of people saying:
a) he hasn't got his own players
b) the players he has are too old
c)) this is the way Soriano et al want them to play
d) we need to give him time

a) he has players that can play in the PL and a good manager should be able to play them in their own position and not tip tapping back and forth across the width of the pitch and then........... oh we forgot to send it back to the goalkeeper, even though we are actually (at last) going forwards
b) the players are NOT too old, they are not being given the encouragement they need
c) Soriano et al surely want a team that can play in the PL?? Plus when did Soriano et al ever manage a football team?
d) Would you want to be giving him time if he were any other manager? No, just because he is Guardiola somehow he is given every excuse under the sun!!

I was at the game today and for the first time in a very, very, very, long time I actually thought why have I wasted a day and the money going to this game. Even under the Pearce era I can't remember thinking that. I am proud of the players who turned out today, I am not proud of the way they are being managed!!

What really annoys me as well is that Guardiola keeps, apparently, going on about the fans getting behind the players, well today for the umpteenth time I noticed that after the match every single player, even those who had been substituted, came over to applaud our fans, the manager walked across to talk to the players but didn't even acknowledge us. It works both ways Guardiola.

Not like you to be so down on things. Things must be bad for that.

We are still 4th largely as a result of all.the team's around us screwing up as badly as we are.

It's like a competition for who can mess up the most currently. Hopefully Liverpool will join in tomorrow

 

[KnaresboroughBlue]

I'm not advocating any managerial changes, I do however think that fans are entitled to question the manager, he shouldn't be above criticism .

I agree. I don't agree with quite a lot of the criticism though at present. if we're playing the same way in a year or two, I'm sure I'll be joining in.

 

[I'm With Stupid]

d) Would you want to be giving him time if he were any other manager? No, just because he is Guardiola somehow he is given every excuse under the sun!!

Any other manager would be given time, yes. We've been quite lucky in that our last manager enjoyed instant success, but that's by no means expected. We all hope a manager can come in and turn things around instantly, but anyone who genuinely expects a manager to take a 4th place team to dominate the league is kidding themselves. And people can point to Conte, who's taken a 10th placed team and probably won the league, but what people are forgetting is that it's largely the same team that won the league 2 seasons ago (something that only happened because Chelsea gave Mourinho time rather than firing him when he didn't win the league in his first season back), without the added hassle of European football. Pep's definitely underachieved by his own high standards, but I think most people were fairly realistic about our chances until that unbeaten run at the start of the season. Look at the progress Klopp has made because Liverpool gave him time, or Pochettino.